Memorandum from Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew to President Harry S. Truman, Current Foreign Developments

TOP SECR DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (EE) Dept. of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 BILLITHE NARS Date 9-18-75 June 27. 1945 YOR THE PRESIDAIT Subject: Current Zoreim Devaloments US Relations with Poland. The Legal Adviser con- sidors that a formal written assurace from the new Poliah Oovornment thet it expects to observo Poland's international oblimitions ie not necessary, since it is n well-establiahed practice that n successor government such 88 this succeeds to both the richts and obligations of the former As Herriman hes already pointed this out to the members of the new Polieh Dovernment he hes put them on notice of the existence of this international practice and need only toll then further that the US naturally expects them to comply with this woll-astablished procedent. As there have been redio reports from lloggow that the 16 accused Toles were also responaible for orimea comitted sgainst the Poliah state and people and will accordingly also be brought before Poliah courts for punishment, Imbassy Moscow is instructed to lemm whethor or not a second trial in Poland of these men is netually contemplated. Harrimén hea been asked to comment on the British aurvestion that, when the Tersaw government notifies the Big Three that it hes been established in conformity with the Yelta agresment, it add a pledge in that mesange that it will hold free elections. As the US presa has beon asking whether we have n definite pledge on this matter, which is part of Yalta, we nust be prepared to make some concrete atatement about it. After further conversations with Bierut, Osubkn Morrwaki and Mikolajozyk, Harrimm strongly recomends TRUNAR that s RECORDS SERVICE' to